Carpenter&#39;s tape



Sept. v20 1927.

1f. w. MARTIN CARPEWI'FERS TAPE SPt 20"1927 4T. w. MARTIN CARPENTERS TAPE Filed Aug. 20. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mwx. wm mm @mmm Nm. u

l1/mentor, T W- Martn Patented Sept. 20, 1927.

UNI'IED STATES ToBrAs w. MARTIN, or CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.

caBrENTERs TAPE.- y

Application led August'20, 1926. Serial No. 130,471.

.y Myinvention relates to carpentersk tapes, and more especially to the` ordinary 'flexible steel tape now'in common use among car'-V penters, which rolls up into a case when not is use. y

An object of my invention is to provide'a carpenters tape on which will a pear in permanent form much necessary. ata-for carpenters in the building of houses, which will lo enable them to see at aglance the information they desire without the necessity of tedi-Y ous calculations. f f

Another object of my invention is to pro.-y vide a carpenters tape on which will appear` tables giving the length of rafters, jacks, valleys, and ridge cutsfor the roof ofl a house of any ordinarypitch,:and also giving the angles at which the ends of these Various parts must be sawed.

Y I attain these objects of invention by using the'ordinary tape having the kconventional foot and inch markings thereon on oneiside, together'withgmy information and calculations appearing on the other side. Y Y

Some ofthe objects of invention lhaving been stated, other objects will appear as the` descriptionv proceeds. A brief description ofthedrawings folf lows, in .which-f i Y `Figure 1 shows the lfirst foot length of an ordinary tape showing the conventional no-r tations of feet and inches thereon;

f Figure 2 is a View of the opposite yside ofV thentape shown' in Figurel, bearing a part 85 ofmyinvention;

. Figure 3 is a view of the second footineas-V ure of' my tape` bearing an additional part of my invention; 1

Figure 4 is la view of the third foot measf ure' of my tape;

-measurebof mytape; Y

` Figure 6 isa view ofthe seventeenth *foot measure of my taper. f

Figure 7 is an additionalfjportion of my tape showing tabulations for additional lengths of the variousparts'of the roof'structure of a house whenthewidth ofthe house is kin odd feet or odd feet and inches;

' V.tional length of parts when thefdistance across the houseis exactly any oddwnumber of'feet; Y Y

Figure`9 is alike view showing theaddi'- `tional ylength of parts when the distance lpartsof the roof structure.

VVF'gure 5V isa View of' thev fourth *foot Figure 8 is alike View showing' the addio-1 across the house is an odd number ofzfeet plus six inches; y YFigure 10 is a side elevation of a tape with the first foot unrolled and showing apart of my invention thereon. f

A brief description of the drawings having been given, a detailedY description of the drawings will nowfollowfin which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings. f l The numerallO indicates an ordinary` tape with the conventional markings thereon, and having the conventional link 11 inthe end thereof. On the opposite sideof the'tape as shown in Figure 1all ofmy informationy appears. On the first foot measure as indicated in Figure 2 I have-markings indicated by the numerals 12, 13, V14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 which sho'nT the angles at which the ends of ridge cuts and common rafters must be cut for all rises vper foot from two inches to eleven inches. In close proximity to these markings are the linesindicated'by the numerals 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, V30 and 31 which show Vthe angles at which the ends of the hips and valleys must be cut for all rises from two inches to eleven inches'.

Slightly further advanced inthe. first foot measure are the markings 32, 33, 34, 35, 36,

37,38, 39, 40 and l1` which shows the side side of ythe vinch markings on the vconventional side vof the tape are the tables which give at a glance the length ofthe dier'ent Let us Vsuppose that the house to be built was two feet'wide from plate to plate,A and that thepitch 'of the yroof was a twoinch rise tothe foot, then the numbers appearingv in association with the twoinch line in the second foot meas-v ure, indicated by the numeral `50 would give the length ofthe rafters for this building. to be one foot andnl'inche's, the hips and val# yleys wouldbe l'foot, 5:09' inches, andthereo jacks would bey indicated as being 2`lfee't`,A and .33 inches shorterthan' thev common rafters,

whichgwould mean Vin :this caseof such a"V small house that there wouldfbe nojacks.

u Now let us suppose that'the house to 'bei built .was 32 feet across from plate to plate, thus meaning` that the distance from the cenv f ter of the house to the plate `would be16 feet,

and let us suppose that it had a Afiveinch'risel to the foot., then b v consulting Figure G We would see that at the point indicated by the numeralil that the length ot the ratters would be 17 feet and ll inches. that the hips and valleys would be -$3 feet and 7.04 inches, and that the jacks having a 2 foot center would be 2 feet and 2 inches shorter than the common rafters.

In 'Figure l I have shown the length ot the jacks having` a l foot and tour inch center, as indi ated by the lower line in said tiejnre.

These tabulations as appearing in the first six iie'ures in the drawings run all the Way alone' the tape, and at the inside end of the tape I have provided the matter shown in Figures T, S and i). In case a building' *as feet and (l inches Wide, then the length ot the parts would be ascertained hy gettin@r the length `given at the point on the tape between the l2 foot and the 13 Jfoot niark cn the tape.. and adding' to these lengths the data appearing' in Figure T. as the distance between the center ot the build- 'ing and one oi the outside plates would be l2 feet and 3 inches.

.Figure ti would be consultedin the manner just described When the building' was 25 feet Wide, thus makingl the hall distance l2 feet and 6 inches, and Where the lniildiire` was Q5 :t'cet and (5 inches ivide F igure 9 would be consulted in connection with the 13th toot measure on the rule.

The angles lor the ridge cnt-s and common rafters as appearing in Figrnre 2 and obtained bv placing; the ordinary square on the piece ot timber with the 1Q inch niark at the. end ot' the piece ot timber. and on the other arm ot the square the inch niark at which pitch the roelE rises placed at the edge oit the timber, and thus the annie is obtained. l3nt I have placed this angle on the tape, so that calculations are not necessary.

For the deterinniation ot the angles of the hips and valleys the above operation is repeated with the exception that the 'lT inch niark is placed at the end ot' the piece ot timber instead oli the l2 inch niark above described tor common rafters.

`In each ot the figures the numeral GO indicates the length oit the parts Where there is a 2 inch rise per toot in the roof. the nu meral (il indicates the length o'l the parts where there is a three-ineh rise. 'the numeral G2 lor the 4l inf-h rise, G3 'lor a 5 inch rise, Gift for a 6 inch rise, (l5 for a 'l' inch rise. Gti tor an S inch rise, ($7 :t'or a 9 inch rise. GS 'tor a 10 inch rise, and G9 for a l1 inch rise.

I am aivare that heretofore there have been squares havingr data similar to mine for one foot. thus making it necessariT to 1nnlti ply the `.information contained on the square by the distance from the plate to the center of the building, but I believe that I ain the first one to have alinear measure giving the lengths of the various parts of a roof structure on the measure ttor any ordinary length of roof, thus eliminating' the necessity of using multiplication at all.

It is a Well known tact that man i7 carpenters are not capable of multiplying, and that even in the case ol their being able to multiply, that mistakes Will occur. In in v dcvice there is no chance olf a mistake being made, as all the carpenter has to do to determine the length ol the various parts oil' the rool structure is to determine the distance 'trom the plate to the center ot the building` and then pull outthe tape 4from its casinpl` `to thislenn'th as i inditaitcd on 'the tape, and there Will appear all the inliormation at `a ls i'lanee Without the necessity of any calculations, except .sonic simple adflition or subtraction in seine caser;7 nniltiplication being' entirel)7 eliminated in building' root structures by 'the use oli my device.

l-lavinef fully described in v invention, what I desire to secure and protect by Letters Patent el the United Statie: is as lich lows:

I. claim:

l. A earpentefs tape having conventional :toot and. inch markings thereon `on one side thereo"j the `leot markings representina the horizontal run ol. root structures, and the inch markings rel'ircsenting rise ot root per toot ot' run, and data zilnpearirng; on the 'tace ot the tape opposite each inch marking giving;v the length of the y'arious parts et a root structure.

2. A tape measine harina' located thereon, toot markings indicatingr one-halt the width ot a house` inch markings immediately t'olloivinp; each 'Foot 1narkine3`said inch niarkings indicating therise in inches per toot for the root structure, and data at the inch markings teiviimv the length ot `the various parts oit a root structure.

3. A. carpentcs tape having' foot sections marked thereom the first 'foot section having?Jl lines thereon f rivingr the angle at which the ends oli the trainework ot a root struffftin'e should be cut. with the inch rise per toot marked at each angle marking, and the sncceeding iloot sections having' data at each inch marking' giving); the actual lene'th oli the 'framework o't a roof structure having a horizontal width equal to the toot marking` immediately preceding the inch markings. i

et. A, tape havingl data thereon, whereby when the tape is nnrolled to the 4toot niarkinfr corresponding to the horizontal width ot a roo'lrthe actual length of the parts et the root structure will be given opposite the inch markings, the said inch markings rep# rescnting the rise ol. the roof 'tor each horizontal toot i thereof.

.In testimony whereof I have atlifced inv signature. 1

Tontas W. MARTIN.

l (l (l 

